Biz Buzz: Trio hopes to create buzz in home sales market

Three former University of Richmond students are trying to make it easier for homeowners to sell their houses.

The three -- Mike Gray, Mark Hickman and Andrew Ryan -- have launched RichmondHomeBuzz. The company starts doing business today.

Friends since college, the three started the company as a way to help homeowners who want to sell their houses but don't want to pay commissions or have little experience with the for-sale-by-owner process.

Costs for RichmondHomeBuzz range depending on the work. The company does not represent the sellers at closing or during negotiations. Gray said a full marketing package that includes all their services costs about $2,000.

Clients keep the materials that were created to use as they see fit.

What RichmondHomeBuzz does is help create customized marketing programs for their clients. The homeowner can use the material to advertise the home across several mediums. The three say they eventually hope to work with Realtors as well.

"We want to service this community because we really know the area," Ryan said.

RichmondHomeBuzz creates Facebook pages, virtual tours and customized Web sites for its clients. The company also will write listings, ads, brochures and fliers for the homeowners.

The service will be available to landlords leasing properties.

They say focusing on the Richmond area gives them a leg up because they understand the market.

The three first met in college and have been looking to start a business for a few years. Gray and Ryan graduated in 2006 and Hickman in 2007.

Gray and Ryan spent a couple of years in Washington before coming back to Richmond.

They decided the area was the right place to start a company because of the quality of life and cost of living, Gray said. The business has no employees yet except for the three of them.

"Our goal is to create a viable Richmond company," Gray said.

The partners say they decided to start RichmondHomeBuzz because they found homeowners trying to sell houses on their own had a tough time. One reason is they can't compete with Realtors who have large networks and marketing budgets, they said.

"Too often homeowners are stuck in a Catch-22. They try to save some of their hard-earned money by listing their home as 'for sale by owner,' but are often at a disadvantage," Gray said. "This is a cost-effective way for them to get the word out about their houses."

Best ads screened

Some of the best TV commercials of 2009 will be screened at the Byrd Theatre in Carytown on Thursday night.

The screening is sponsored by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, an advertising industry group.

The show, called The Art & Technique of the Ameri can Commercial, debuted in June at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. The group is taking the show to several cities around the country, including Chicago, Dallas and Miami.

It's the 18th year the organization has taken the show on the road.

A panel of industry insiders chose the ads in the program. They are broken up into 23 categories, including humor, cinematography, visual effects and music.

Ads that will be shown include Nike's "Wake Up Call," Comcast Powerboost's "Rabbit" and Pepsi's "Refresh."

The evening will begin with a reception at the New York Deli in Carytown at 5:30 p.m. The show, which costs $30 for the general public, begins at 7:30 p.m.

Martin designs Microsoft

Shockoe Slip-based The Martin Agency is the designer behind the new Microsoft retail stores.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant opened its first two stand-alone retail locations last month -- in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mission Viejo, Calif.

The company opened the stores to engage directly with customers. Competitor Apple has more than 200 stores in the U.S., including seven in Virginia and one at the Short Pump Town Center.

"This is a new method of distribution for Microsoft, and it has to tell a new story," said John Adams, Martin's chairman and chief executive.

Martin, along with its design unit, Collins Design, worked on the project with Microsoft for about eight months. It came up with stores' visual identity, including logos, imagery, supporting graphics, styles and colors, employee uniforms and product packaging.

The agency designed a 180-foot-long digital screen wrapping around the store that runs 10-minute films.

Microsoft will determine whether it will expand the stores to other markets depending on customer response, a company spokeswoman said last week.

Luxury for dogs

The newest addition to the retail landscape in western Henrico County is for the dogs. Literally.

Fido Park Avenue, in The Shoppes at Westgate on West Broad Street across from Short Pump Town Center, is an upscale boutique for dogs. Yes, dogs.

The 1,100-square-foot store carries bedding, food bowls and hair bows as well as nail polish, jewelry and wine.

The store is scheduled to open Nov. 23.

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or . Follow him at http://twitter.com/RTDBizBuzz.